


Wildflower

by WeirdyMcWeirderton



Series: Avery Series [6]
Category: Leverage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:42:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29969316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeirdyMcWeirderton/pseuds/WeirdyMcWeirderton
Summary: Next installment in my Avery series; Sequel to Let It Hurt. Avery has a knack for getting into trouble, especially when she's so willing to put herself in harms way to save innocent people. Will the team get to her in time? And will Eliot be able to find a way to compromise with her and still protect her?
Series: Avery Series [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/120231
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

Avery enters the elevator at McRory’s Bar & Grill, pushing the button to the top floor. She waits patiently for the elevator to get there, exiting it when the doors open. She hikes her book bag further up on her shoulder and walks over to the door of Headquarters. Opening it, she walks into the living room and notices the only one around is Hardison. The team and her had their routine now that she’d been with them for a while. Everyday her dad drops her off at school on his way to Nate’s. After school, she walks to Nate’s and stays with whoever is there. If they’re on a job out of the city, she stays at a friends’ house. She sets her book bag on the table and walks over to where Hardison is staring at his laptop and sits next to him. She watches as four dots move around on the screen, each one labeled with the name of one of the team members. Hardison glances over at her and sends her a smile. 

“How’s everything going?” Avery asks in her southern drawl while her eyes watch the four dots on the screen with genuine interest.

“So far? Good,” Hardison replies with a nod of his head. Avery watches the dots a second longer.

“Ya know, you should really get creative in the names you give them,” Avery says with a nod of her chin towards the dots on the screen. Hardison looks over at her and then shifts his gaze to the screen.

“What?” he asks with a furrowed brow, not all entirely sure he knows what she’s talking about.

“The dots,” Avery says with a raise of her brow, pointing at them, “They’re kinda boring. You should give them special secret names. That way if anyone randomly gets in and sees this stuff they can’t tell who’s who.”

“You’ve got a point,” Hardison says with a tilt of his head as a smirk slowly appears on his face.

“No nicknames Hardison,” Eliot growls into the ear bud. 

“Hey, that was all your daughters idea,” Hardison says in defense as his smirk morphs into a grimace. 

“I could hear you smirk all the way over here,” Eliot growls again and a scowl is heard in his voice, “No special secret names. That’s stupid.”

“Oh, what about doomsday?” Avery says with a quirk of her brow and a smirk playing on her lips.

“No, nick…doomsday?” Eliot repeats but then backtracks, “I could live with that.”

Hardison gives Avery a knowing smirk and clicks a few buttons on the computer. Avery looks over at her dad’s dot and sees Doomsday over top it. She smirks at Hardison and Hardison hands her an   
extra com. Accepting the com Avery puts it in her hear and turns her attention back to the screen.

“What about Parker?” she asks with a furrow of her brow in thought. 

“I want to be a black widow,” Parker says through the com. 

“Ew, black widows eat their significant others,” Avery says as she scrunches up her face.

“But they’re small and deadly,” Parker points out and Avery scrunches her face up further at the pleasure portraying in Parker’s voice.

“But I like Hardison,” Avery says as a frown appears on her face. Hardison chokes on his orange soda and Sophie suppresses a smirk. 

“What does Hardison have to do with this?” Parker asks with a furrowed brow, confused.

“Nothing,” Avery says innoccently with a shrug of her shoulder and the corner of her mouth ticking up as she attempts to suppress another smirk. Hardison shoots her a glare but types in the new   
name for Parker.

“Sophie,” Avery says, thinking as she leans back into the couch. “She can be Chameleon.”

“Chameleon?” Hardison asks with a raise of his brow and a glance over at Avery.

“Yeah, cause she can blend in anywhere,” Avery says with a nod of his head and meeting Hardison’s gaze. Hardison nods his head in understanding and changes the name on the screen.

“What about Nate?” Hardison asks as he also leans back in the couch.

“How about…” Avery says, trailing off in thought. She crosses her arms and her fingers tap on her elbow as the wheels turn inside her head. “Eagle-eye. Because he sees everything before it   
happens.”

Nate suppresses an eye roll but doesn’t say anything, keeping in character. Hardison changes the name giving Avery a sideways glance. Looking over and catching Hardison’s look, Avery and Hardison smirk and fist bump. Avery sits up in her seat and looks back at the screen.

“All that’s left is you,” Avery says with a grin and a glance over at Hardison.

“I know,” Eliot’s voice says over the com, “How about mule cause he’s such a pain in the ass.”

“Now that just hurts Eliot,” Hardison says, grabbing his heart and mocked hurt appears on his face. Avery chuckles and shakes her head at her dad and Hardison’s antics.

“We should label you Tremor,” Avery says as her eyes light up and a grin takes over her face. “Because you’re the tremor before the quake.”

“I like that,” Hardison says with a grin, quickly typing in the name.

“Great, now that’s all he’s gonna talk about,” Eliot growls, then gets to thinking, “Have you done your homework?”

“Uh…” Avery says, knowing she’s caught and grimacing over at Hardison whose attention is already back on the screen. Hardison snorts and shakes his head. “I’m going to do it right now.”

Avery takes the com out of her ear and sets it on the living room table next to Hardison. She quickly makes her way back to the dining room table and begins pulling out her books, paper, and pen. She hears a chuckle and looks up to see Hardison smiling to himself. She furrows her brow, confused at what he can be laughing at.

“I’m the tremor baby,” he mutters to himself as he types into his computer. Avery snorts and rolls her eyes, thinking that maybe her dad was right.

LEVERAGE

The Leverage team walks into Nate’s apartment, looking disheveled and exhausted. Sophie collapses on the couch, followed by Parker in the arm chair. Nate walks over to the counter and pours himself a drink. Hardison looks all of them over. Taking in their appearance, Hardison’s eyes widen and he glances over at Nate.

“It end that bad?” he asks with a raised brow.

“Yeah,” Sophie replies with pursed lips and a nod of her head.

“I thought you guys said you finished the job?” Hardison asks as he furrows his brow.

“We did,” Nate confirms with a nod, “But it was a little harder than we planned.” 

Hardison nods his head in understanding, then, looks around the room. He does a mental count of everyone in the room and realizes they are missing a member of the team. Looking back at the other three present members, Hardison furrows his brow.

“Where’s Eliot?” he asks and glances back over at Nate, hoping Eliot is okay. Parker’s voice draws Hardison’s attention over to her instead.

“He’s out in the hall listening to a voicemail or something,” Parker says with a shrug of her shoulders. As if on cue, Eliot emerges holding an ice pack on his head. There is a scowl on his lips and a   
glare aiming at nothing in particular.

“What happened to you?” Hardison asks as his brow rises to his hairline.

“What do you think happened to me?” Eliot growls as he shifts his scowl to aim at Hardison. “I got hit with a freakin’ crate.”

“Yeah, that would’ve been my first guess,” Hardison says sarcastically with a shake of his head and throwing his hand up, earning a glare from Eliot. 

“Where’s Avery?” Eliot asks as he glances around the room and not seeing her anywhere. 

“Right here,” Avery says, coming from the back hall. The smile on her face drops when she takes in her dad’s appearance. Her brows furrow and she glances at the rest of the team before stopping   
back on Eliot. “What the hell happened to you?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Eliot says with a wave of his hand. “I’m fine.”

“You look it,” Avery says sarcastically, noticing the goose egg on his forehead after he takes the ice pack off. The furrow of her brow deepens but before she can say anything else, Eliot changes the   
subject. 

“So, what happened at school today?” Eliot asks, leaning up against the counter and glancing over at his daughter. She purses her lips at the abrupt change in subject but answers the question   
nonetheless.

“Nothing much,” Avery answers with a shrug of her shoulder, “Pretty boring actually.”

“Uh-huh,” Eliot says disbelievingly with a quirk of his brow and fixing Avery with a hard stare. Avery tries to suppress the uncomfortable squirm aching to happen and turns her attention to the rest   
of the team.

“So, did you guys get the bad guy,” Avery asks the group, trying to change the subject and seem aloof to the scolding look coming from her father.

“Yes, we did. Although it was harder than we planned,” Sophie answers, noticing the quick change in subject as well and raising a brow. 

“So, nothing happened at school today?” Eliot pushes as he changes the subject back and narrows his eyes at Avery. 

“Why do you keep asking me that? Nothing happened at school today,” Avery says with a furrow of her brow.

“Right, so your school called me for no reason,” Eliot says with a quirk of his brow, his scolding look never leaving Avery’s gaze. 

“They called you?” Avery asks with a grimace, her confidence wavering slightly. 

“Yeah,” Eliot says with a scowl and crosses his arms, “You thought they wouldn’t?”

“Um…well, I was kinda hoping they wouldn’t call this soon,” Avery says with a shrug of her shoulders and sending Eliot a sheepish look.

“Again, I ask you. What happened in school today?” Eliot says as he narrows his eyes at his daughter.

“I can explain,” Avery says hurriedly and holding her hands up in an attempt to calm her father. 

“Of course you will,” Eliot replies with a scowl and pointing at a chair at the dinning table. With a sigh Avery walks over and takes a seat, shifting so she can face Eliot directly but looks down at her   
hands instead.

“A couple of girls were saying stuff about Katy and the way she… died,” Avery begins to explain and glances up at her dad. She shrugs her shoulders and looks back down at her hands. “I kinda lost   
it and punched them in the face.” 

Eliot wants to say something, but he doesn’t. He knows Katy’s death has been really hard on Avery and he’s lucky that’s all she did. Eliot sighs. Dropping his hands to his side before running one of   
them down his face, Eliot looks down at Avery. 

“Well, you’re suspended for the rest of the week,” Eliot says in a soft tone and Avery’s head darts up to meet Eliot’s gaze. “I’ll pick up all your school work tomorrow, I guess.”

LEVERAGE

Avery finishes the problem she’s on and sets her pen on the table, leaning back in her chair and sighing. Sophie looks over at her from the counter and gives her a knowing look. With a scowl at the homework, Avery tosses her pencil on the table and rests the back of her head on the chair back and stares up at the ceiling. Giving Avery a small smile, Sophie speaks up.

“Have you finished?” she asks with a raise of her brow. Avery lifts her head up and looks over at Sophie.

“My Math homework,” Avery says with a sigh and a scowl at the offending homework. “My brain is just shot right now, ya know?”

Sophie watches her for a moment before setting her bowl on the counter and walking over to her. She grabs her things and puts them in a pile, earning a look from Avery. Sitting up and furrowing her brow at Sophie, Avery watches the grifter put her school work into a pile.

“Come on,” Sophie suddenly says before starting to walk towards the door.

“Where are we going?” Avery asks as she furrows her brow further and getting up, quickly following after Sophie.

“To go get some ice cream,” Sophie says before looking back and giving Avery a small smile.

“But, we have ice cream here,” Avery says with a jerk of her thumb behind them at the kitchen. 

“You need to get out of this place for a little bit. Otherwise we’re going to have a huge Spencer Tantrum and those are never pretty,” Sophie explains with a shake of her head and a grin at Avery. 

“Um…okay,” Avery replies as the corner of her lips quirk up into a smile while getting into the elevator with Sophie. The elevator dings and Sophie and Avery exit before walking into Parker. Letting   
out a little squeak Sophie takes a step back and the three females look at each other. Parker looks between Avery and Sophie and furrows her brow.

“Where are you two going?” Parker asks as she shifts her gaze over to Sophie, not wanting to be left out.

“We’re going to get ice cream. Would you like to come?” Sophie asks with a smile.

“Ice cream? Sure,” Parker replies with a smile, walking with the other two girls out to the car. The three of them climb into the car and Sophie pulls out of the parking space and takes off down the   
street towards the ice cream parlor. 

LEVERAGE

Sophie, Parker, and Avery are all sitting at a picnic table, eating their ice cream. Parker is staring at the family at an adjacent table whose three year old has ice cream dripping down his hands and face. Sophie looks over at Parker and then shifts her gaze to where Parker is staring. Pursing her lips, Sophie shifts her gaze back to Parker and leans in closer.

“Parker, don’t stare,” Sophie whispers harshly as she gives Parker a scolding look.

“Why doesn’t he just get a napkin?” Parker asks with a scowl at the offending scene. Sophie gives Parker a look that tells her she’ll talk to her later. Avery gazes across the street at the gas station,   
watching the people there. One man in particular catches her eye and she watches as he walks away from the outside bathrooms. He looks around the parking lot before going to a nearby van and opening the door. He looks over at the bathroom he just vacated and nods his head. Avery narrows her eyes, knowing something is going on. A bigger, built man walks out of the bathroom, carrying a young blonde woman. He quickly puts her in the van and shuts the door. The two men look around before climbing into the front seat.

“Avery!” Sophie’s voice shouts. Avery’s head swivels over to her.

“What?” she asks with wide eyes.

“I’ve been trying to get your attention for the past couple minutes,” Sophie explains with a furrow of her brow. She takes in the wide eyes of the teenager and she tilts her head. 

“I…” Avery says, glancing over at the van as it roars to life. “I think someone’s in trouble.”

“What do you mean?” Sophie asks as her brow furrows further. Avery nods to the van across the street. Following Avery’s gaze, Sophie’s eyes land on the van running in the parking lot.

“Two guys just carried a girl and put her in the back of that van,” she says as she stands up and climbs out of the picnic table. Ice cream forgotten, Avery’s attention is focused solely on the van.

“What? We should call the police,” Sophie says, already getting her phone out and keeping an eye on the van.

“We can’t. We don’t have time,” Avery says as the van backs up and drives to the road. “We have to help her.”

Sophie stops, looking over at Avery who is all but pleading for Sophie to do this. Sophie looks over at Parker. Parker’s jaw is set and she’s fixing Sophie with a firm look. Avery hastily glances at the van getting away before looking back at Sophie.

“I think we can do this,” Parker says with a nod of her head as she’s climbing out of the picnic table herself.

“Your father is going to kill me,” Sophie says with a shake of her head but hastily following after Parker and Avery to their car.


	2. Chapter 2

Nate, Eliot, and Hardison walk into Nate’s apartment. Looking around the space, Eliot realizes no one else is around. He begins walking through the apartment, looking for Avery but doesn’t see her anywhere. Eliot walks back into the living room and looks over at Nate and Hardison. 

“I can’t find Avery,” Eliot says as he throws his hands up in the air and a scowl begins to appear on his face.

“Her books and things are still on the table,” Hardison says as he nods his chin at the dining table. Eliot glances over and furrows his brow at how neat Avery’s school work is.

“Sophie’s car was gone when we pulled in,” Nate points out as he juts a thumb in the general direction of the parking lot. “Maybe they both went someplace.”

Eliot pulls out his phone and hits his daughter’s speed dial, putting the phone up to his ear. He waits awhile but it goes to voicemail. With a furrow of his brow and a glance over at Nate and Hardison, Eliot leaves a voicemail. 

“Hey, Avery, call me when you get this,” Eliot says into the phone. He hangs it up and puts it back in his pocket. A frown appears on his face at the lack of contact. 

“I’m sure she’s fine Eliot,” Nate says off-handedly as he walks over to the kitchen and begins sifting through the refrigerator. 

“Yeah,” Eliot says as his gaze drifts back to the pile of books on the table. The rule was that Avery always answers his phone calls and if she couldn’t talk she was to text him. Eliot turns towards Hardison who is already typing into the computer and pulling up a screen on the TV. “Hardison…”

“Already got it. She’s with Sophie and Parker,” Hardison says with a raise of his brow and a nod at the television. Eliot looks at the screen, trying to figure out where exactly they are.

“Are they…? Is that Kone King?” Eliot asks with a furrow of his brow and a scowl appearing on his face.

“Uh…yeah, it looks like,” Hardison answers with a wide eyed look and a grimace aiming at Nate.

“Avery gets suspended and Sophie and Parker take her to get ice cream,” Eliot growls out with a roll of his eyes and his scowl deepening. Nate watches the two thieves, turned brothers, in silence. 

“Told you she was fine,” Nate finally says as his lips twitch in amusement. “You’re just being over-protective.”

“The girl gets into trouble like it’s her job. I’m just being careful,” Eliot says after giving Nate a glare, then, “Hardison…”

“Keep track of them. Yeah, I know,” Hardison finishes, minimizing the screen but keeping it open on the screen. 

LEVERAGE

“I’ll distract the mark,” Sophie instructs with a look over at Parker and Avery. “Parker, you get Avery inside and to wherever they’re holding the girl.”

Parker and Avery nod their heads. Sophie had followed the van all the way to a warehouse. She parked down the street so their car wasn’t noticed. They glance down the road where they can just make out the building. 

“You two have your com’s in?” Sophie asks with a purse of her lips. This plan and whole situation is not one she likes and Eliot is going to be immensely angry with her for allowing Avery to talk her   
into doing this.

“Yeah,” Parker and Avery answer with a nod of their heads and tapping their ears.

“All right, let’s go,” Sophie says with a single nod before getting out of the car. They all make their way to the warehouse together, but as they get closer, Parker and Avery move to the back of it   
while Sophie goes to the front door. Parker and Avery sneak over to the back door and Parker takes out her lock pick set while Avery keeps a look out. Seconds later and Parker gets the door open. The two of them enter the warehouse, keeping a lookout for any of the kidnappers. 

“So, where do you think she is?” Avery asks in a whisper as her eyes dart around them for any trouble. 

“I don’t know. We’ll just have to check every room,” Parker says as she slinks her way down a hall. Avery follows her, taking the right side doors while Parker takes the left side doors. 

LEVERAGE

“Uh…Eliot?” Hardison says hesitantly with a grimace, looking at the screen and the recently blown up tracker tab.

“What?” Eliot asks with a furrow of his brow, looking over at Hardison.

“Do we know anyone at 56 Easton Street?” Hardison asks as he furrows his own brow.

“Easton?” Nate asks, getting up from the table and walking over to the counter where Hardison is and joining him in looking at the screen. “That area is filled with warehouses.”

“Why would they be there?” Eliot asks with a purse of his lips, joining the other two thieves at the counter. 

“That’s the question we’re going to find out,” Nate says while pulling out his phone. He dials Sophie’s number and waits for her to pick it up but no one answers. He hangs up the phone after leaving   
a message and sets it on the counter. “No answer.”

“I’ll try calling Parker,” Hardison says, pulling out his own phone.

“I’ll call Avery,” Eliot says, mimicking Hardison’s actions and walking a few steps away. 

LEVERAGE

Parker and Avery turn down another hallway, making sure no one is around. Parker’s phone begins vibrating; Avery’s following shortly after. The two girls pull out their phones and see its Hardison   
and Eliot. Parker and Avery look over at each other.

“Do we answer it?” Parker asks with a raise of her brow. Avery gives her a look before silencing her phone and putting it back in her pocket.

“We gotta get this girl out of here,” Avery says with a determined look over at Parker. Parker nods her head and silences her own phone, also placing it back in her pocket. They move further down   
the hall when Avery hears a noise up ahead. She slows down and creeps up next to the door on the right. She puts her ear to the door and hears whimpering followed by a harsh voice. Avery looks back   
at Parker and points to the door, signaling they found her. Parker walks over to the other side of the door and Avery moves back a step, keeping out of the view of the door for when it opens. Parker knocks on the door and they hear the rough voice inside immediately stop. They wait and finally the door opens and a bigger man with blonde hair stands in the doorway, noticing Parker.

“Hey, I was just looking for the bathroom,” Parker says with a smile. The guy furrows his brow in confusion.

“What? You’re not supposed to be here,” he says with a shake of his head.

“Nope, and neither am I,” Avery says as she steps into a fighting stance. The bigger guy turns around in time to have a fist hit him in the nose. He stumbles back grabbing it as it begins to bleed,   
crying out in pain as Avery has broken it. Avery doesn’t waste any time and she slams a punch into his groin. The guy doubles over, his hands leaving his face and going to his groin. She grabs the back of his head and smashes it into her knee as it flies upwards. The guy topples over, out for the count. Avery and Parker look around, not seeing anyone coming, thanking God no one has heard the commotion. Avery sneaks into the room and notices the only one in there is the young girl she had seen get kidnapped. Her eyes are wide and tear tracks are running down her face. She is gagged and tied to a chair. Avery runs over and grabs the pocket knife her dad had given for her birthday and cuts the rope off the girls’ hands. She moves to her feet as the girl unties the gag. 

“Who are you?” the girl asks with wide eyes when she is untied and standing up.

“My name’s Avery. I came to help you out,” Avery says as she offers the girl an assuring smile.

“We need to get going,” Parker says, peeking her head in and giving Avery an ushering look. “Sophie just left.”

“Who…?” the girl begins with a furrow of her brow, eying Parker cautiously with a narrowing of her eyes.

“That’s Parker. She’s here to help too. Come on, we gotta get out of here,” Avery says before grabbing the girl and leading her out in the hall.

LEVERAGE

“That’s it,” Eliot says hanging up his phone and putting it back in his pocket, having seen Hardison not getting a hold of Parker either. Glancing and pointing at the television screen, Eliot makes an   
announcement. “We’re going to that warehouse.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Hardison says with a shake of his head while putting his phone away and following after Eliot. Nate grabs his phone and follows after the two of them. 

“I’m driving,” Eliot announces as they walk out of the apartment.

LEVERAGE

Eliot pulls his Challenger up alongside Sophie’s car and shuts it off. The three men climb out of the car and quickly make their way down the road. They hide behind some bushes, taking in the   
warehouse in front of them. They don’t have to wait long because Sophie walks out of the front door and towards the road where they are. She says something in her com and walks around the corner only to run into them. Sophie lets out a little scream and Eliot pulls her down swiftly.

“Where’s Avery?” Eliot grinds out sending her a hard glare. 

“She’s inside with Parker. They’re coming now,” Sophie says breathlessly and jutting a thumb behind her towards the warehouse.

“You let her go in there by herself?” Eliot asks angrily as his glares hardens further. Sophie, at for her part, looks apologetic and a grimace appears on her face. “What are you three even doing here?”

“We went out for ice cream. Avery saw a girl get kidnapped,” Sophie explains and glances over at Nate.

“So, naturally you thought to follow the kidnappers and try to take them on yourselves,” Eliot growls with a scowl on his face and has to walk away from Sophie for a moment.

“I was going to call the police, but Avery made a point. They’d lose them. It’d be too late,” Sophie tries to explain as her apologetic look grows.

“She’d say anything to get you to go after them,” Eliot growls out as he throws his hands up and his scowl deepens .

“I’m a grifter Eliot. Reading people is what I do. She wasn’t saying it to just say it,” Sophie says with a purse of her lips and fixing Eliot with a firm look, the apology in her face gone now.

“She’s sixteen years old!” Eliot shouts as he takes a step towards her and his point finger jabs at her in emphasis.

“Sh,” Sophie whispers harshly and glaring at Eliot. She looks back at the warehouse to make sure their fight hasn’t been heard. 

“You were worried when I let her fight the guys in a tournament. You just let her go into a warehouse with kidnappers who are probably armed,” Eliot grinds out and his hands tighten into fists out of   
frustration. Sophie sighs. She knew Eliot was going to be angry; she knew she should’ve just called the cops. “I’m going in to get her.”

“Going in to get who?” Eliot turns around and sees Parker, Avery, and a young blonde girl a couple years older than Avery standing behind them. 

“What the hell were you thinking?” Eliot growls, moving towards her with a stern look and a scowl on his face directed at his daughter.

“I was thinking she was in trouble and we needed to help her,” Avery growls back her face and body posture matching her dad’s perfectly.

“You could’ve gotten yourself killed. Dammit Avery!” Eliot says angrily before turning around and taking a couple steps away from her. 

“Maybe we should head back. Figure out what’s going on and why these men would want to kidnap…” Sophie begins before looking at the blonde girl to supply a name.

“Sarah,” the girl supplies with a sheepish smile and a glance over at Eliot and the rest of the team.

“Sarah,” Sophie says as she gives Sarah an assuring smile. Sarah catches it and her tense shoulders relax marginally.

“You have no say in what we do,” Eliot says with a scowl and a glare, pointing a finger at Sophie. 

“Sophie’s right. Let’s head back to the apartment and figure this whole thing out,” Nate says as he holds a hand up to Eliot and giving his a firm look to try to calm the father down.

“Fine,” Eliot grumbles before sending one more glare at Sophie. He turns, fixing Avery with a stern look and pointing at Challenger. “Get in the damn car.”

LEVERAGE

“So, tell me again why you three decided to go off on your own to do this?” Nate asks Sophie and Parker as they walk into the apartment. He glances at Sophie and then at Parker walking in behind   
him.

“A girl was in trouble Nate,” Sophie argues with a purse of her lips and a hard look at Nate.

“We had to help her. If we waited too long, we’d never be able to find her,” Parker adds with a nod of her head and moving to stand next to Sophie.

“You could’ve left Avery in the car,” Nate points out and fixing both Sophie and Parker with a stern look.

“Oh, come on, Nate. When have you ever known Avery to just sit idly by when she knows she can be of help,” Sophie counters with a roll of her eyes and glances over at Nate, fixing him with a   
knowing look and a quirk of her brow as she crosses her arms.

“Yeah, but this is Eliot’s daughter we’re talking about,” Hardison puts in as he raises his own brow and glances between Parker and Sophie. “You had to’ve known he was going to be pissed.”

“Well we weren’t really expecting to get caught,” Parker says with a grimace. Sophie throws her hands in the air slightly and shakes her head while Nate and Hardison turn purse their lips at Parker. 

“I’m sorry I got you in trouble,” Sarah says as she walks over to the group having heard the conversation. 

“No, it wasn’t your fault dear,” Sophie assures as she gently squeezes the girls arm. Suddenly, there’s shouts coming from the back room and they all turn in that direction.

“Something tells me Avery won’t be doing much of anything for a while,” Hardison says as he grimaces at the anger in Eliot’s voice. Nate sighs.

“All right. Sarah?” Nate says, turning to Sarah, who nods in confirmation. “Sarah, do you have any idea why these men would want to kidnap you.”

“Well…” Sarah says, but hesitates and bite her bottom lip as she glances at the group in front of her.

“Don’t be afraid. We want to help,” Sophie assures her and gives her an encouraging smile. Sarah nods her head.

“A few days ago I saw something,” she says with a look at Sophie.

“Like what?” Nate asks with a furrow of his brow.

“A murder,” Sarah says quietly as she shifts her attention over to Nate. The leverage group all share looks before looking back at Sarah, the shouts from the father/daughter duo still evident in the   
background.

“I was walking home one night and I saw these two guys shoot another one in the park. It wasn’t until the next day when I saw the news that I realized what had happened. I was going to the police but those guys kidnapped me before I made it there,” Sarah continues as her eyes begin to tear up at the memory. 

“So, why didn’t they just kill her?” Hardison asks with a furrow of his brow and a shake of his head. “I mean if they were covering their tracks, why kidnap her and drag her around?”

“That is a very good question,” Nate says as his jaw sets and looks over at Sophie. 

LEVERAGE

“Dad, I’m fine,” Avery sighs with a roll of her eyes.

“Yeah, you’re lucky you’re fine,” Eliot growls out in return. He turns around to fix Avery with a hard stare. “You have no idea what or who was in there.”

“Dad, there were only two guys…” Avery begins with a wave of her hand.

“That you knew of,” Eliot grinds out as he cuts her off suddenly. “Sophie said she talked to two guys in the main room. You knocked out one guy. Which means there was three…Avery…three guys.   
What happens if there was more?”

“There wasn’t. And we saved Sarah,” Avery says with a raise of her brow and a shake of her head.

“Something could’ve gone wrong. You should’ve called us. Or at least the cops,” Eliot says with a scowl, his voice raising.

“There wasn’t any time dad,” Avery counters with her own scowl and her voice raising to match her fathers.

“You wouldn’t have any time for anything if you had gotten yourself killed Avery!” Eliot shouts and he throws his hands up in frustration. With a shake of his head, Eliot turns away from her and   
pinches the bridge of his nose.

“It’s not like I went in by myself. Parker and Sophie were with me!” Avery shouts in turn as her scowl deepens and she wildly throws her hand towards the door where she knows Sophie and Parker   
are.

“As much as I trust Parker and Sophie, neither one is a hitter!” Eliot shouts after rounding on Avery and sending her a stern look.

“It’s not like I never worked a job with you guys!” Avery shouts, hinting at the tournament job they worked a little while ago.

“Yeah, but I was there. So, if anything went wrong, I was able to protect you!” Eliot yell back and jabs his finger towards the ground for emphasis.

“It’s not like I’m incapable dad! I’ve done karate since I was four! And you’ve been teaching me other stuff since I came to live with you! And Shelley’s been teaching me stuff too! How much more   
prepared can I be?!” Avery counters in turn and throws her own hands up in frustration before walking a few steps away from her dad.

“You can never be prepared enough! Something could always go wrong that leaves you in trouble! And you always end up in trouble!” Eliot yells back and his jaw clenches and his hands tightens into   
fists in frustration.

“You should know!” Avery yells back with a glare aiming directly at her father. 

“Dammit Avery!” Eliot shouts and pounds a fist into the nearby desk in frustration.

“Whether you like how it happened or not, Sarah’s in trouble and we need to help her,” Avery says as she crosses her arms and sets her jaw while fixing her father with a firm look.

“We aren’t doing anything. You are staying here,” Eliot says as he flicks his pointer finger between the two of them before pointing it directly at Avery. Avery opens her mouth to argue but Eliot stops   
her. “I’m not asking Avery.”

Eliot turns and walks out of the back room and out to the living room. Avery sighs and walks out after her father dejectedly. They enter the living room just in time to hear the last of the   
conversation. Eliot joins the group while Avery hangs back and leans up against the nearby wall.

“That’s a very good question,” Nate says with a purse of his lips and a look over at Sophie. The team looks up as Eliot and Avery walk in, both looking very grumpy. Avery crosses her arms and her   
shoulders sag in defeat as a scowl appears on her face. 

“So, what do we have?” Eliot growls, crossing his arms and looking at the group, ignoring his daughter sulking behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Sophie walks into the apartment and looks around, only seeing Eliot. Eliot looks up and sees her but ignores her otherwise and turns back to his sandwich. Sophie takes a deep breath and walks over to the bar where Eliot is eating. Resting a hand on the bar and giving her attention solely to Eliot, Sophie starts speaking.

“Can we talk?” Sophie asks before waiting for Eliot to give her his attention.

“Oh, now you want to talk,” Eliot says angrily, looking up and giving Sophie a look. Sophie sighs.

“Listen, I shouldn’t have let Avery go in. I should’ve made her stay in the car. Or called you guys. Something. She’s your daughter and I don’t blame you for being angry,” Sophie says with an   
apologetic look and slowly sits down in the stool next to Eliot. 

“I’m a little more than angry Sophie,” Eliot says, scowling and sending Sophie a glare. Sophie nods her head and Eliot looks back down at his sandwich.

“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” Sophie apologies and rests a hand on Eliot’s forearm. Eliot looks over at her and sighs before setting his sandwich on his plate. He turns in his seat to face Sophie   
directly.

“She would’ve just followed you in,” he says with a grimace and a glance back over at Sophie. “So, it was either she goes in with you guys or she stays in the car and goes in by herself.”

“So, you’re not mad at me?” Sophie asks with a furrow of her brow.

“I didn’t say that. I’m just saying I understand why you did what you did,” Eliot replies with a sigh as he runs his hand down his face. The door opens and Avery walks in seeing Sophie and her dad   
sitting at the bar. She freezes and studies them for a moment.

“Do I need to leave? You guys good?” she asks as she waves her pointer finger between to two of them.

“We’re fine Avery,” Eliot says before picking up his sandwich again and taking a bite.

“Good,” Avery says with a grin. She drops her school bag on the floor and walks over to them. “‘Cause I think I might know why those guys didn’t kill Sarah.”

“I thought I said you were grounded. That means no jobs,” Eliot says through a mouthful of sandwich and raises his brow. 

“I know, but listen. What if they didn’t kill her because the police were on to them and they want to frame her?” Avery asks as she leans her forearms on the counter and looks between Eliot and   
Sophie.

“Where do you come up with this stuff?” Eliot asks with furrow of his brow and a shake of his head.

“I watch a lot of cop shows,” Avery says with a shrug of her shoulders causing Eliot to roll his eyes at her.

“That’s kind of a stretch,” Eliot says, giving his daughter a look.

“What’s a stretch?” Nate asks as he, Hardison, and Parker walk into the apartment.

“Avery thinks those thugs didn’t kill Sarah because the cops are onto them and they’re using her to frame her for the murder,” Eliot explains as he turns in his stool again to face the newcomers.

“It wouldn’t hurt to check it out. I mean all you have to do is call Bonnano,” Avery points out with a raise of her brow and a look over at Nate. Nate shrugs noncommittally. 

“Come on, Nate. It’s just a phone call,” Sophie says with a stern look and a quirk of her brow.

“Fine, I’ll give Bonnano a call,” Nate says with a sigh, pulling out his phone and walking away. Eliot turns to Avery. 

“Homework,” he orders as he points to Avery’s bag on the floor.

“I’m going, I’m going,” Avery groans and waves her dad off, walking over to her bag and all but dragging it to the table. She takes out her homework and scatters it about, starting in on her science. 

“Okay, thanks Bonnano,” Nate says with a nod, hanging up his phone. Nate turns back to the team and walks over. “Bonnano says they don’t have any leads on the case.”

“Told you it was a stretch,” Eliot says with a glance over at his daughter. Avery scowls.

“Okay, so how about this? Those guys aren’t the boss. They’re just the thugs. They had to wait for their boss to get there before they did anything?” Avery offers with a look at the team, then, adds,   
“And they wanted to interrogate her to see what she knew and if she had told anyone else. They knew they stopped her before she went to the police but if she had told anyone else, they’d still be in   
trouble.”

“That makes more sense. Why didn’t you start with that one?” Eliot says with a furrow of his brow and a shake of his head. 

“The other one was more fun,” Avery says with a smirk before shrugging and going back to her work.

“Okay, so let’s say Avery’s right. That means these guys are going to be coming after Sarah again,” Nate says with a look at the rest of the team.

“Where is she?” Eliot asks with a furrow of his brow.

“She is…” Hardison says, typing into his computer before a map pops up with a red dot on it, “…at her house.”

“Is that…a tracking device?” Sophie asks as she furrows her brow.

“Yeah, I put it on her sneakers before we dropped her off,” Parker says proudly with a grin on her face as she stands up straighter. 

“We need to be able to connect them with the gun that shot the guy in the park…” Nate begins as he begins to meander around the room, his brain already thinking up multiple plans.

“Sanborn,” Hardison supplies with a raise of his brow and a glance over at Nate. Stopping in his meandering, Nate looks at Hardison and nods his head.

“Okay, Sanborn. But we can’t do that unless we flush them out,” Nate replies and continues with his pacing.

“How are we going to do that?” Hardison asks, quirking an eyebrow and his gaze following Nate.

“Give them the one thing they want,” Nate provides before looking up at the red dot on the screen.

“We’re going to give them Sarah?” Sophie asks with wide eyes and her mouth partly open.

“Well, not really. They’re going to think they have her. The problem is we can’t just get the thugs. We have to get their boss. If we just get the two guys who grabbed her first, their boss will just   
hire new guys,” Nate explains as he turns back and glances at Sophie before starting up his pacing again.

“So, they get Sarah and we have to let them take her back to their boss?” Parker asks with a furrow of her brow as she watches Nate.

“Yes, but we’re not going to use Sarah. Not really,” Nate says with a wave of his hand as his mind continues to conjure up a plan. 

“Then who are we going to use?” Hardison asks as he furrows his brow at Nate before looking over at the rest of the team.

“Parker,” Nate replies as he gestures in the direction of the thief .

“Nate, Parker has blonde hair but she looks a lot older than Sarah does. They’re going to know it’s not her,” Eliot says with a scowl, his sandwich forgotten as his eyes track Nate’s movement. 

“I could do it,” Avery’s voice says from the table. The team turns and looks over at Avery.

“What? No way!” Eliot protests as he shakes his head vehemently.

“Well, she is close to Sarah’s age,” Parker says with a grimace and a glance over at Nate. “But, she has brown hair and Sarah has blonde.”

“I can wear a wig,” Avery says with a shrug of her shoulders as her gaze shifts between the members of the team.

“Avery, no,” Eliot warns with a scowl on his face.

“It could work. And you’ll be nearby in case anything goes wrong,” Avery argues as she looks over at her dad and holds his gaze.

“No, it’s not happening. You already helped us out on one job and you got out of there beaten and bruised,” Eliot says with another shake of his head.

“I’m pretty sure I was the one doing the beating,” Avery points out with a smirk on her face.

“The answer’s no so stop pushing it,” Eliot grinds out and sends Avery a scowl. Avery and the rest of the team all look at Eliot, expectant looks on their faces. Eliot’s jaw tenses and he begins to   
shake his head in protest. “No. No. It’s not going to happen.”

LEVERAGE

“I don’t like this plan,” Eliot grumbles out with a scowl. He watches as Sophie helps Avery put a blonde wig on her head. They had called Sarah and had moved her to a secure location where the   
thugs couldn’t find her. Now they are getting Avery ready to take her place. Eliot is sitting in one of the chairs, arms crossed, and a glare on his face. 

“You’ve said that already,” Nate says with a huff then, turns to Avery. “So, you know what you have to do?”

“Yeah, let them kidnap me and take me to their warehouse. Once the bossman shows up give the signal and you’ll let Bonnano know and he’ll sweep in,” Avery says with a nod of her head.

“Right, and when these guys are busy with Bonnano, we’ll switch you out with Sarah and Bonnano will catch them with her and the gun in their possession,” Nate finishes as he catches Avery’s gaze to   
make sure she understands. 

“And if crap hits the fan, call dad,” Avery adds with a glance in her dad’s direction.

“You better,” Eliot says with a stern look. 

“All right, all done,” Sophie says to Avery and gives her an encouraging smile.

“Okay, let’s get you back to Sarah’s,” Nate says with a nod of his chin at Avery.

LEVERAGE

“So, what’s with this whole ‘I want to take down the bad guy’ thing?” Eliot asks Avery as he enters the elevator. Avery looks over at him.

“I just want to help that’s all,” Avery says with a shrug of her shoulders before focusing her attention on a spot on the doors. 

“Uh-huh,” Eliot says with a glance over at his daughter, knowing there’s more to the story. “You sure this has nothing to do with Katy?”

Avery doesn’t say anything, just crosses her arms and leans up against the elevator wall. She focuses her attention on a fly hanging out on the wall to the right. Feeling Eliot’s gaze linger on her,   
Avery shifts uncomfortably. After close scrutiny of Avery, Eliot sighs.

“You know, it’s not going to bring her back right?” Eliot finally says as he keeps his gaze on her.

“What?” Avery asks with wide eyes as her head jerk up to look over at him. The elevator door opens and the two of them walk out.

“Putting yourself in danger. Working these jobs,” Eliot clarifies as he puts his hands in his pockets and glances over at Avery.

“I know that,” Avery says with a scowl and a roll of her eyes, annoyed.

“Then, what’s going on?” Eliot asks with a furrow of his brow as he puts a hand on her shoulder and stops her before she walks outside to Sarah’s car. Avery looks over at him and sighs. 

“I just don’t want anyone else to go through what I did,” she says before shrugging her dad’s hand off and exiting the building. Eliot watches her leave before heading out to his Charger, his jaw   
clenching.

LEVERAGE

Avery pulls into Sarah’s driveway and shuts the car off. Climbing out of the car, she nonchalantly glances around, noticing her dad’s car down the street. After taking a deep breath Avery slowly lets   
it out. Eliot’s voice sounding in her ear helps her to relax slightly. 

“You’re doing fine Ave, just act natural,” Eliot says into the com. Avery shuts the door and walks up to the door, unlocking it with the keys Sarah gave them. Shutting the door behind her, Avery   
looks around the apartment. As she walks through the apartment, Avery attempts to get her bearings and also, look for anything out of place. After a few minutes Avery hears her dad in her ear again. 

“Everything all right in there?” Eliot asks and Avery can see the purse of his lips and she smirks in amusement.

“We’re fine,” Avery replies with a last glance around her before walking back into the living room and dropping onto the cheap sofa. “So, now what?”

“Hang tight. Watch some TV,” Eliot replies while looking out his window at the street. He hasn’t seen anything suspicious but he is making sure to keep an eye out. He’s not taking any chances with   
this one. 

“Eliot, how’s everything going over there?” Nate asks over the com. Eliot glances down at Sarah’s house before answering.

“Fine. Nothing yet,” Eliot says with a shake of his head before going back to scanning the street.

“Hey, Dad?” Avery says suddenly over the com.

“Yeah?” Eliot answers as he sits up straighter in the driver’s seat and his eyes dart over to the house again.

“You realize that I have to act like Sarah right?” Avery asks before she bites her lip.

“What?” Eliot asks in turn, slightly confused and furrowing his brow.

“If I act differently, they’re gonna know I’m not her. She was really scared the last time we found her,” Avery explains as she runs a hand through her hair and bites her bottom lip.

“What are you getting at Avery?” Eliot asks with a grimace as his mind begins to connect the dots.

“I think what Avery’s trying to say Eliot,” Sophie begins hesitantly, “Is she can’t be her normal ‘kick your butt’ personality. She’s going to have to act really scared.”

“But I’m not. I’m just pretending to be,” Avery says hastily to try to assure her father. “I just want to make sure you know that.”

“I know that Avery,” Eliot says gruffly with a scowl on his face, not sure if he’s annoyed at the fact she’s telling him this or at the fact that he’s most likely not going to like what he hears when these   
guys come.

“Okay, just making sure,” Avery says with a sigh and a purse of her lips, mentally waving the white flag. 

LEVERAGE

Avery sighs in boredom as she flips through the channels on the TV once again. There is nothing on that’s even remotely worth watching. She gets up and begins looking through Sarah’s movies   
when suddenly she hears a sound from the back door. Her head whips around and she watches the archway leading to that direction.

“I think they’re here,” she whispers into her com. Eliot sits up straighter in the drivers’ seat and looks around. He hadn’t seen anyone pull up to the house and he doesn’t see anything out of the   
ordinary now either. Avery walks through the archway and starts down the hall, looking around. Not seeing anything, she turns around. A guy, one of the ones who had taken Sarah the last time, is   
standing in front of her. Avery lets out a scream and the blonde haired guy grabs her, putting a hand over her mouth. Avery tries to kick and scream, all the while reminding herself that she has to be   
Sarah. The other guy, a brunette, who had kidnapped Sarah before as well, appears around the corner. Avery kicks at him, hitting him in the stomach and sending him into the end table, knocking it   
down. She tries to get free of the blonde man but he whips her around towards the back door. Avery smashes into the wall with a loud thump and lets out a groan.

Eliot hears the commotion over the coms, hearing the screams, thumps, and crashes. Eyes widening and holding his breath, Eliot’s eyes dart around the house trying to find something to show him   
Avery is okay. There is a loud thump and Avery lets out a groan of pain. Eliot’s hand immediately goes to the door handle, ready to jump out and run towards the house. Nate’s voice stops him.

“Eliot we need them to take her,” he says in a firm voice and he grimaces at the panic he knows Eliot is feeling right now. Eliot freezes, fighting a war inside his head as his eyes dart back to the   
house.

“Get her in the damn car!” the brunette shouts angrily. The blonde roughly manhandles her through the back door, smacking her into the porch table and railing. Avery lets out a cry, but the blonde   
guy ignores her, all but dragging her to the van out back.

Eliot feels the anger and frustration build up inside him. He hears Sophie remind him Avery’s just acting but it doesn’t help. He never wanted to hear these sounds come out of his daughters’ mouth.   
He hits his steering wheel with his hand letting out a curse. As he runs a hand through his hair Eliot clenches his jaw and closes his eyes against the sounds. Avery lets out a cry and Eliot’s eyes pop open   
and dart back to the house as he forces a swallow. 

“Dammit!” Eliot shouts as a scowl appears on his face and he hits the steering wheel again.

The two kidnappers throw Avery in the back of the van and the brunette climbs in the drivers’ seat, the blonde climbing in the back with Avery. The brunette starts the van up and squeal off towards   
the warehouse they had first taken Sarah. Avery falls back and into the side of the van as it’s speed suddenly accelerates. She shoots a glare in the general direction of the kidnappers before forcing   
herself back into character.

“If anything happens to her Nate…” Eliot says quietly as he grips the steering wheel and rests his forehead on it.

“We don’t want anything to happen to her Eliot. Which is why you’re going to be at that warehouse,” Nate assures and instantly giving Eliot directions to follow. Eliot forces his emotions back down,   
getting control of them before starting up the Challenger and squealing off.


	4. Chapter 4

“Did you get a hold of the boss?” the brunette asks as the blonde walks into the room.

“Yeah, he said he wasn’t coming out here. Said she had to’ve had help last time and he wasn’t going to take the chance,” the blonde says with a shake of his head, glancing over at Avery, tied up on   
the floor. 

“So now what?” the brunette asks, his gaze following the blonde’s and seeing Avery is still out for the count. Not wanting her to see where they were going, the brunette knocked Avery out with   
drugs as soon as they started down the road. 

“He gave me an address. We’re to meet him there,” the blonde responds, glancing back over at the brunette. 

“Alright. She should be getting up any time here. Go get the drugs,” the brunette says, nodding towards the open door behind the blonde. The blonde nods his head and turns to head in that   
direction. “Eric.”

The blonde stops and turns around to look at the brunette, raising his eyebrows in question. The brunette nods towards Avery. Eric looks over at the girl before turning his attention back to the   
brunette. With a narrow of his eyes at Avery, the brunette finally finishes what he wants to say.

“Grab an extra syringe just in case,” the brunette instructs with a look over at Eric.

“Sure thing Nick,” Eric replies, turning back around and heading out the door. Moments later, Eric returns back to the room and hands Nick the syringe. Nick takes it from him and walks over to   
where Avery is. He grabs her arm and inserts the needle into it, emptying the contents into Avery’s blood stream. Avery flinches slightly, feeling the poke in her arm. She hears shuffling around and   
mumbling coming from in front of her. Nick takes the syringe out and hands it to Eric who discards it in a trash can. 

“Come on. Let’s get the van ready to go,” Nick says as he watches Avery. Eric exits the room, Nick following after him, glancing behind him at Avery before following Eric down the hall. Avery blinks   
her eyes once she hears the men leave, shaking her head to get rid of the drowsiness, but is unable to do so, groaning when the dizziness intensifies. She looks around the room and sees she’s in the   
same room she had found Sarah. Her head feels like cotton and she tries to shove it down but is unsuccessful. She feels something in her ear and remembers she has her com in and that her dad should   
be nearby. She feels the drowsiness grow heavier and she decides she had better get a hold of him soon or she isn’t going to be able to at all. 

“Dad…?” she calls, her voice but a whisper. She shakes her head and focuses on her voice more, speaking louder this time. “Dad?”

“Ave? You alright?” Eliot jumps in a little too eagerly, having heard something about moving her and a syringe over the com. 

“Um…” Avery begins, trying to wrap her head around an answer. The room is tilting and she closes her eyes, not liking the feeling. 

“Avery,” Eliot calls, causing her to jump slightly, forgetting she was talking to someone. She forces her eyes open again, but the drowsiness is pulling her under.

“Dad…Some…Something’s wrong…” Avery says, before her eyes close and the drowsiness pulls her under. She barely hears yelling in her ears before everything goes completely black.

“What’s wrong Ave? Avery? Avery?!” Eliot says into his com, not liking the silence coming from his daughter. “Nate…”

“We’re on our way Eliot,” Nate says into his com, having heard the whole conversation. Eliot pushes the gas pedal further, turning a corner a little too fast. The warehouse is up the street on the   
right. Eliot pulls over to where Sophie had parked last time and jumps out of the Challenger, moving quickly towards the warehouse, keeping an eye out. Not seeing any movement, Eliot runs to the side   
door and cautiously enters the building. 

Eliot quickly, but quietly walks throughout the building, checking rooms as he goes by them, not seeing anyone around. He makes a right down a hallway and hurries down to a door on the left. He   
listens carefully but doesn’t hear anything. Opening it up, he peers inside, seeing only a chair and a garbage can inside. Eliot purses his lips and turns to go back out the room when something on the   
floor catches his eye. He walks across the room and squats down, picking up the object.

“Dammit,” he growls, seeing it’s Avery’s com. He stands up and puts it in his pocket and looks around the room for anything else. His eyes land on the trashcan and walks over to it, peering inside.   
He reaches inside and grabs a syringe, peering at it. Eliot scowls, throwing the syringe back in the garbage and moving out to the hallway, slamming the door behind him. Eliot storms through the   
building, heading to the front door and talking into his com. “Nate…”

“We’re outside the warehouse…” Nate begins but Eliot’s voice interrupts him.

“Don’t bother. They’re not here. She’s gone,” Eliot growls, his voice laced with worry and panic. He reaches the front door and whips it open, walking determinedly over to where the cars are   
parked. Nate, Sophie, Hardison, and Parker climb out of a car and walk over to him. Eliot is scowling at Nate, pointing at him, growling out the next thing he says. “You said nothing bad was going to   
happen to her Nate. You said she’d be fine. She’s gone and we have no clue where they took her.”

“We’ll find her Eliot…” Nate says, holding up his hands in placation and giving Eliot a firm, but understanding look. 

“You wouldn’t be so calm if it was your kid Nate,” Eliot accuses, glaring at Nate before stalking off to his Challenger. Nate sighs and looks over at Sophie who shakes her head. A squeal of tires   
announces Eliot’s departure and Nate turns to face the whole group. “Hardison, you have any way to track down Avery?”

“I don’t know. I can see what I can come up with,” Hardison says with a shake of his head and a shrug his shoulders. “But there’s not much. If we’re lucky, they have her phone on them still turned   
on.”

“All right, let’s get back to the bar,” Nate says with a nod of his head, climbing into the driver’s seat of his car. Parker looks over at Sophie.

“Sophie, do you think we’ll get Avery back?” she asks, yearning and worry in her eyes.

“If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll track her down,” Hardison replies from behind her before climbing into the back seat of the car. Parker glances over at him before looking back over at Sophie. 

“Does Eliot hate us?” she asks Sophie with a grimace. Sophie supplies a small smile before answering.

“No Parker. He’s just worried is all. He’ll be fine as soon as we get Avery back,” Sophie assures, resting a hand on Parker’s shoulder and squeezing. Sophie climbs in the front passenger seat as   
Parker glances back at the warehouse and then climbs in the back seat with Hardison. Nate starts the car up and does a U-Turn back out to the road. 

LEVERAGE

“Have we figured out where they took Avery yet?” Nate asks Hardison as he walks into the living room and glances up at the television screen. 

“No, but I’ve found the van they used to take Sarah near her house after Avery was kidnapped. I’ve been following it through the traffic cams so hopefully soon,” Hardison explains with a shake of his   
head while typing into his computer and studying the traffic cameras on the screen. 

“Well, let’s get going. We’ve already wasted a lot of time,” Nate says with a purse of his lips, looking over as Eliot walks into the room. 

“You find her yet?” Eliot growls, walking over to Hardison and peering over his shoulder at the computer screen. 

“Not yet. But soon,” Hardison says with a shake of his head, switching to another camera.

“What’s taking you so long?” Eliot grinds out, glaring at the screen, before walking a few steps away.

“I’m going as fast as I can. When I find where she is, I’ll…” Hardison begins, not letting his eyes leave the screen. He stops when he sees the van pull into a building, then roll up door, shutting   
behind it. “Got her.”

“Where?” Eliot asks as his head whips around to look at Hardison before walking back over to him and studying the screen. 

“325 Hering Street,” Hardison says as he types into his computer, pulling up the address. Before anyone can say anything, Eliot has turned around and headed towards the door. Nate looks over,   
watching him leave, before turning to the rest of the group. 

“Parker, Sophie. Get Sarah and meet us at the building,” Nate orders as he looks at the two females. Parker and Sophie nod and leave the apartment. Nate turns his attention to Hardison. “You’re   
with me. Once we figure out who these two guys are that took her and who the boss is, we’ll have to work fast.”

“We’ll? We’ll? I believe you meant to say ‘I’ll’,” Hardison replies to Nate’s back as Nate heads towards the door. Hardison sighs in frustration, mumbling to himself about not being given credit as he   
packs up his computer and rushes after Nate. 

LEVERAGE

Eliot lies on the ground, pretending to be asleep. He is dressed up as a homeless person to blend in. He isn’t going to chance having his car around and being made; this area isn’t really well-known   
for nice vehicles. He keeps an eye on the building in front of him, mentally holding himself back from charging in there and beating up every bad guy he comes across. Nate had talked to him the whole   
ride over, telling him they needed to connect the murder and kidnapping to the boss otherwise this whole plan was for nothing. 

“Anything yet Eliot?” Nate’s voice comes through the coms.

“No,” Eliot replies, peeking at the building but not making any other movement. Suddenly, a car pulls up to the front door of the building and a couple guys climb out, one of them in the middle. Eliot cautiously moves to get a better look at the guy in the middle, sneaking his phone out to take a picture. Two men, a blonde and a brunette, exit the building and walk over to them. The guy in the middle walks up to them and begins talking. Eliot takes a couple pictures and sends them to Hardison. “Hardison, I just sent you some pictures.”

Back in Lucille, Hardison pulls up the pictures Eliot has just sent and begins putting the three guys’ faces through a face-recognition program. They don’t have to wait long for the first ping to   
sound. Two more pings sound a few moments after the first one. Looking at the matches, Hardison’s eyes grow wide.

“That’s not good,” Hardison says with a shake of his head before clicking a few buttons on his computer and pulling up three profiles for Nate to see. Nate walks over and peers over Hardison’s   
shoulder at the screen. 

“Eliot, we know who they are. But you’re not going to like it,” Nate says into his coms, his eyes never leaving the screen and his lips pursing together.

“I already don’t like it Nate,” Eliot growls back, watching the scene before him. The group of men walks into the building, shutting the door behind them.

“The two guys who took her are Eric Hanson and Nick Venigoff,” Nate says in return as a grimace appears on his face. 

“Venigoff and Hanson? Great. Who’s the boss?” Eliot asks, a scowl on his face aiming towards the building. Nate ignores Eliot’s question and turns to Hardison. 

“Hardison I need you to set up a transaction going from Stansenov’s account to Hanson and Venigoff’s accounts. Then, figure out the connection between Stansenov and the victim,” Nate instructs   
as his gaze shifts up to the pictures on a screen nearby. Hardison nods his head and immediately gets to work. Eliot hears everything Nate is saying and he quickly sits up. He looks back to where Lucille   
is hidden, a glare on his face.

“Stansenov? As in Victor Stansenov? My daughter is in there with one of the biggest crime lords in Russia? What the hell is he doing here?” Eliot all but yells, jumping to his feet.

“Eliot stay where you are. We…” Nate begins but Eliot’s growl interrupts him.

“Not happening Nate. You’d better hurry up, because I’m going in now,” Eliot growls out, throwing off the blanket around his shoulders and glancing around the street before heading towards the   
back of the building.


	5. Chapter 5

“Hardison, what have you found out?” Nate asks with a sigh as he turns his attention to Hardison. 

“Turns out Stansenov’s brother died a couple months ago. They never found the guy who killed him, but…” Hardison begins while pulling up a picture, “…looks like it was our victim.”

“Alright, Hardison, send this information to Bannano. Have you set up the transaction?” Nate asks with a nod at the screens in front of him. Hardison keeps his attention on his own screen, but still   
answers Nate.

“Yes I did. Everything is set up. Now all we need is Bannano to get here,” Hardison answers with a nod of his head, sitting back in his chair and looking over at Nate. 

“Sophie, you’re up,” Nate says into his com as he turns away from the computer screen to give Sophie his complete attention. Sophie pulls out her phone and types in a few numbers.

“Hello? 9-1-1? I just heard gunshots outside. And I think I saw some men who look Russian walking around. Where?” Sophie says with panic in her voice. She quickly gives the operator the   
address. As she hangs up her phone Sophie looks over at Parker who’s sitting in the seat beside her before talking into her com. “Nate, we’re all set over here.”

“Eliot, how’s it going in there?” Nate asks into the com as he turns back to the screen and waves a hand at them. Hardison immediately pulls up the video feed of the warehouse but there’s no sign of   
Eliot on the outside of it.

“Fine,” Eliot replies as he enters the building and cautiously hurries down the hallway. Nate points a finger at the computer and leans down to get a better look. “Hardison, track him.”

Hardison types into his computer and pulls up the floor plan of the building. A few more buttons and a red dot pops up onto the screen, moving down a hallway. Nate’s gaze follows Eliot’s progress   
on the screen. His eyes dart to the video feed before going back to Eliot and talking to Parker. 

“Parker, be ready. As soon as we find where Avery is, you’re going to take Sarah to the nearest door,” Nate says into the com, still watching the red dot make its way through the building. Parker   
nods her head and looks behind her into the backseat at Sarah. 

“You ready for this?” Parker asks her as she gives her what she hopes is an encouraging look. Sophie turns and looks back at Sarah as well. Sarah nods her head jerkily, her eyes wide and biting her   
lower lip, tension evident in her body. 

“You’ll be fine,” Sophie soothes, resting a hand on Sarah’s arm and sends her a smile. “By the time we switch you out with Avery the cops will be there.”

Sarah nods her head again, still biting her lip and her eyes wide, but the tension easing off a little. Sophie squeezes Sarah’s arm gently before turning back around in her seat. Glancing over at   
Parker, who’s sitting back in her own seat, and sharing a look with her, Sophie takes a deep breath. Parker clenches her jaw and glances out the windshield at the warehouse down the street.

LEVERAGE

The first thing Avery notices is that she’s sitting on the floor, and the floor is hard. The next thing she notices is the air smells damp. Avery blinks her eyes open and looks around the room she’s in.   
First, she realizes her vision is clearer but not perfect. Then, she realizes she’s alone, which sends a wave of relief through her at seeing. She looks around and sees there is only one door and the floor is   
wooden. She moves slightly, feeling a pull on her arms. She tries to see behind her, noticing the metal pole her arms are wrapped around with her hands tied behind it. Avery brings her legs up towards   
her and she slowly begins standing up, moving her arms up the pole as she does so. She’s almost standing up straight when something cuts her arm.

“Ow, dammit,” she says with a grimace, stopping abruptly. She carefully feels along the pole, her fingers brushing up against something sharp. Feeling along the object further, Avery assumes it’s a   
broken piece on metal on the pole. She quickly begins rubbing the rope binding her hands along the jagged piece of metal, hoping to cut it free. 

LEVERAGE

“Where’s the girl?” Stansenov asks Hansen and Venigoff as the three of them and Stansenov’s three bodyguards walk into the building.

“She’s in the back in one of the rooms,” Eric Hanson replies with a look over at Stansenov, jutting a thumb behind them.

“I tied her to a metal pole and we drugged her. She won’t be getting up anytime soon,” Nick Venigoff adds in, watching Victor Stansenov. 

“Good. Anymore problems like last time?” Victor asks as he glances at the two men before him, raising an eyebrow at them.

“No, we took precautions. Everything went smoothly,” Nick answers with a shake of his head, eying the bodyguards next to Stansenov. 

“Good. I didn’t want to have to kill you,” Stansenov says seriously, his cold eyes never leaving Nick or Eric’s. Nick and Eric force a swallow but other than that they don’t show their nervousness.   
Stansenov glances at the back door leading to a hallway behind the two men and nods towards it. “Go take care of her. Then, I will pay you.”

Nick and Eric nod their heads and they turn around, exiting out the back door and walking down the hall. They take a right turn and walk down the hallway, stopping at the door to the room Avery is   
in. Eric looks over at Nick as he waits for the man to pull the keys out of his pocket and unlock the door. With a glance over at Eric and getting a nod from him, Nick opens the door up.

LEVERAGE

Avery continues to work at her bonds, feeling them loosen a little but not break yet. She freezes when she hears footsteps walking up to the door. Her head shoots up and she stares at the door to   
the room, holding her breath. There is a clanking sound and the door opens up, Nick and Eric walking into the room. Eric stays near the door, watching Avery closely. Nick walks up near her, smirking   
devilishly at her. Watching the two of them closely, Avery’s attention shifting mostly to Nick when he gets near her but still keeping Eric in her sight. Nick pulls out a gun and looks at it lovingly before   
looking up at Avery with a smile on his face. 

“Guess you won’t be testifying after all,” he says, his grin growing bigger. Before Nick can do anything, Avery kicks the gun out of his hand and lands another kick to his stomach, sending him flying   
backwards onto the floor, sliding a few inches. Avery quickly begins to work on her bonds once again but Eric charges forward, aiming a punch at her face. Avery shifts to the right, her loosened bonds   
allowing her to move enough to miss getting hit. Eric’s fist hits the pole behind her and he lets out a pained shout. Avery doesn’t waste any time and lands a knee into Eric’s solar plexus, hearing the air   
being forced out of his lungs. She stomps on the side of his knee, a girlish scream escaping from Eric’s mouth. As Eric falls to the floor, Avery kicks him in the face. Eric drops to the floor, out cold. She   
hears a click and her head whips up, eyes growing wide when she sees Nick in front of her, aiming his gun at her, a smile on her face. 

“See you in hell sweetheart,” Nick says while leering at Avery. Avery’s eyes grow wider. Suddenly, there is a blur and a fist hits Nick in the face. Nick stumbles back and he tries to aim the gun at the   
intruder. Avery looks at the newcomer and sees it’s her dad. Eliot grabs Nick’s wrist, breaking his arm and getting rid of the gun. Nick yells in pain and Eliot slams an elbow into Nick’s face, sending him   
unconscious to the ground. Avery works on her bonds and Eliot looks over at her, checking her over. 

“Ave. You all right?” Eliot says softly, quickly closing the distance between he and his daughter. The jagged piece of metal finally cuts through the bonds. Eliot reaches her and before he can check   
her over, Avery has slammed into him wrapping her arms around him tightly. Eliot returns the hug just as tightly. There are footsteps behind them and Eliot and Avery break apart, turning quickly. Eliot   
shoves Avery behind him, his body tense, ready for a fight. He relaxes when he sees it’s Parker and Sarah. 

“Bannano is here. We have to hurry,” Parker says, eying Nick and Eric lying unconscious on the floor. Eliot nods his head. Parker turns to Sarah. “You’ll be fine. The cops will be here in a few   
minutes.”

Sarah nods her head, but her eyes drift towards the two guys on the ground. Parker follows her gaze, taking in the two guys as well. She shifts her gaze over to Eliot, tilting her head slightly and   
raising her brow in question. Giving her a smirk, Eliot looks over at the two men lying unconscious on the floor.

“I knocked that one out,” Eliot says, nodding towards Nick, “he’ll be out for a while.”

“And I knocked the other one out. He won’t be waking up any time soon either,” Avery replies, nodding towards Eric. 

“We’ll take them out though,” Eliot says, already moving to Nick and dragging him out the door. Avery and Parker grab Eric and drag him out in the hall as well. Parker glances inside once more,   
shooting Sarah an encouraging glance before shutting the door behind them. Parker leads the way to the left and out the door, Eliot grabbing Avery’s arm and pushing her in front between him and her   
Parker. 

LEVERAGE

Bannano motions for SWAT to put Stansenov and his bodyguards in cuffs before leading another group of SWAT through a door and down a hall. They check each room but don’t find anything so they make a right, stopping when they see two men lying on the floor. They cautiously approach them and see they are unconscious. Two SWAT members quickly put them in cuffs while Bannano and the others open the door and enter the room, seeing Sarah inside, eyes wide and arms wrapped around her. 

“Sarah? Every thing’s okay. I’m Detective Bannano. We have Stansenov in custody along with the guys who kidnapped you,” Bannano assures, slowly approaching Sarah, hands up in a calming   
manner so as not to alarm her. Sarah breaks down, tears falling down her face and she falls into Bannano.

LEVERAGE

Nate looks up when his apartment door opens, Sophie doing the same from where the two of them are standing in the kitchen. Eliot and Avery walk in to the room; Eliot ruffles her hair before she   
departs and slumps down in the couch near where Hardison and Parker are sitting on a chair, Parker on the arm of it. Eliot glances over at her and then walks over to the kitchen counter. He leans his   
forearms on the counter and looks at Nate and Sophie. Nate glances over at Avery, making sure she’s occupied before turning his attention back to Eliot.

“She all right?” Nate asks with a nod of his chin at the teenager. Eliot glances back at his daughter and then turns back around to look at Nate.

“She says she is,” he replies before raising an eyebrow and nodding his head slightly. 

“What do you say?” Nate asks, tilting his head forward and catching Eliot’s gaze.

“She slept in my bed last night. And she wouldn’t let me leave until she fell asleep. Said she just wanted the company and that my room was warmer. But she was scared,” Eliot says as he jabs a   
finger onto the counter, looking directly at Nate. 

“Has she talked about it at all?” Sophie asks Eliot, leaning closer to him so as to not let Avery hear their conversation. Eliot glances over at Avery before answering the question.

“No,” Eliot replies with a shake of his head and looking over at Sophie. Eliot purses his lips and shifts his gaze between the two people in front of him. “Just do me a favor. No more jobs with her.   
No matter what she says.”

Nate and Sophie nod their heads in agreement and look up when yells come from the living room. Eliot turns around and sees Hardison, Parker, and Avery watching a movie on the TV. Avery pokes   
her head up over the back of the couch to look at the three Leverage team members in the kitchen. 

“You coming?” she asks, looking directly at her dad.

“Yeah, I’m coming,” Eliot says with a nod of his head and Avery sinks back down in the couch. He glances back at Nate and Sophie, raising his eyebrows and nodding towards Avery. He turns around   
and walks over to the couch, sitting at the end of it. Avery grabs a pillow and sets it against her dad’s leg and lays her head on it, taking up the rest of the couch. Nate and Sophie share a look and then   
walk over to the group, taking their own seats.


End file.
